Office Depot’s president for North America departs

Kevin Peters, president for North America at Office Depot Inc., has left to become CEO at an industrial distribution company, effective immediately, the retailer announced today. Chairman and CEO Neil Austrian will oversee Office Depot’s North American business, it says.

“In his five years with Office Depot, Kevin was instrumental in building a strong team while driving the strategic vision for our North American sales channels and our supply chain organization,” Austrian says. Office Depot did not name the company Peters now heads. A spokesman declined further comment.

Peters joined Office Depot in 2007 as executive vice president of supply chain and information technology and two years later became president, North America, responsible for both stores and the retailer’s e-commerce operation. From 2002-2007 he served as vice president of merchandising and supply chain at W.W. Grainger Inc. and, from 1991-2002, as vice president of the The Home Depot Inc., according to his Linkedin profile.

Office Depot is No. 6 in the Internet Retailer Top 500 Guide; Grainger, No. 15, and Home Depot, No. 42.